Next week’s Coronation Street – Steve catches Tracy and Tommy in affair twist

Next week on Coronation Street, Steve catches out Tracy and Tommy when he returns from France a day early, while Simon crashes his car with Sam inside.

Please note that due to football coverage on ITV, next week’s episodes will now air on Monday 5th, Friday 9th, and Sunday 11th February.

---

Tracy’s (Kate Ford) attempt to have one last bit of rumpy-pumpy with Tommy Orpington (Matt Milburn) could lead to disaster next week.

Former Weatherfield County player Tommy was brought in by Tracy to redecorate the bedroom, much to the shock of husband Steve (Simon Gregson) when he returned home to find his sporting idol standing in the living room.

Unfortunately for Steve, Tommy’s job coincided with his heading to France to spend time with daughter Emma.

Whilst he was insanely jealous of Tracy getting to spend time with his hero—not to mention his mates Tim (Joe Duttine), Kirk (Andy Whyment) and Kevin, who were soon swarming around the house asking Tommy to join them for a pint—little did Steve realise just how much his wife would be seeing of Tommy.

Tracy couldn’t resist Tommy’s charms, and after stealing an illicit kiss in the kitchen, the pair were soon making their way upstairs.

Next week, with the bedroom job finished, Tracy manages to drag Tommy away from Tim and his wife Sally (Sally Dynevor) to request he call into the shop with his invoice. Knowing Steve is due back tomorrow, Tracy explains that it’ll be their last chance to have some alone time together.

But Tracy isn’t banking on Steve arriving home a day early. With a week in France apparently having made Steve a master of romance, he prepares Tracy a French style buffet, explaining to Ken (William Roache) and Amy (Elle Mulvaney) that he’s planning to impress Tracy and put some of the zing back in their marriage.

Tracy is preoccupied with some zing of her own though, as Tommy arrives at the shop and she turns the sign to ‘Closed’.

Steve is confused when he heads over and finds the shop locked up, and shouts through the door that he knows Tracy is in there.

But as Tracy gingerly opens the door, Steve is stunned to find Tommy there behind her.

Has Tracy’s fling with the legend that is Tommy O been rumbled?

---

Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) has been on a downward spiral in recent months, but none of his loved ones are aware of just how troubled the 20-year-old has become.

Stepmum Carla (Ali King) had been frustrated by Simon’s constant partying, and when Simon went on a two-day bender just after Christmas, he missed the opportunity to say farewell to his dad Peter (Chris Gascoyne), who left Weatherfield to work on a yacht embarking on a round the world cruise.

“Simon felt quite sad,” Alex Bain explains. “He was hurt that he left without saying goodbye and he doesn’t really understand why he has gone, he was confused by it.

“He doesn’t really want to accept that he has gone and he is angry with himself for not being contactable when his dad was leaving. As time goes on he has got a bit hardened to it and has accepted that his dad has gone.”

Simon’s drinking has only increased since Peter’s departure, and after moving out of Carla’s in order to let her newfound nephew Bobby (Jack Carroll) move in, Simon has been feeling more lonely than ever.

As he’s sat alone at Nick (Ben Price) and Leanne’s (Jane Danson) place, depressed and drinking, viewers have been left wondering if he will go down the same route as his father in becoming an alcoholic.

“He had kind of started on that track but he didn’t see it as that,” Alex continues. “He was dressing it up as just hanging out with his mates having a few drinks and his dad leaving just meant that he started to do it more. He realises to some degree what he is doing is not okay or sustainable behaviour but he’s not really caring at this stage.”

“I do wonder if it has always been there, there was that time when he was younger and he passed out through drinking. There was always the possibility with his dad’s addiction that he could go down that road.

“I read that you are up to four times more likely to become an alcoholic if one of your parents is so it is interesting that they are exploring alcohol becoming an issue for Simon. He is not there yet but he is heading down that path for sure unless he gets a grip of it now.”

Simon was dealt a further blow when Peter offered him a job on the yacht, before later breaking the news that the position had already been filled, having not checked before getting Simon’s hopes up.

Simon has at least begun to form a friendship with Bobby, who has already enjoyed some drinking sessions with his ‘cousin’ whilst being mostly unaware of what he’s going through.

Having been sacked by Carla for refusing to make a delivery (unknown to her, Simon had been drinking and was unfit to drive), Simon was given a job at the bistro by Leanne, and it didn’t take long for mischievous Bobby to convince Simon to have a lock-in for the pair of them.

Next week, Nick is unimpressed when Simon turns up for work drunk. Nick orders him home, but Simon instead diverts to the Rovers to get himself another pint.

When Simon wakes up with a stinking hangover the following day, Leanne covers for him with Nick and allows him to have the day off, but explains to Simon that she’s again worried about his drinking.

“I think he does realise a little bit of what he is doing but he does say a few times ‘I’m not my dad’,” Alex explains. “But in a way he is becoming his dad and I think Leanne can see that and is worried he has pressed the self-destruct button.”

Meanwhile, Bobby has noticed that Simon has been a bit down in the dumps, so decides to round up the young folk of the street and throw a party to cheer him up. Bobby invites Nina (Mollie Gallagher) and Summer (Harriet Bibby) along, and also asks them to extend the invitation to Lauren (Cait Fitton). They’re quick to correctly deduce that Bobby has taken a shine to Lauren, but could he have some competition in the form of Simon?

“I think at this point, there’s always been that question of will they ever get him fixed up with a girl?” Alex tells us. “He did kind of have a bit of a thing with Kelly, they had a connection. It’s that same dynamic with Lauren, she is also that kid who’s sort of been a bit abandoned by her family in one way or another, isn’t she?

“It is interesting that he has gravitated again towards that kind of person. I think he’s a caring person at the end of the day and he just wants a connection with someone.”

Waking up the morning after, once again worse for wear after drinking into the early hours, Simon takes a sneaky swig of vodka as a ‘hair of the dog’ whilst Bobby clears away all the empties.

Later, with Nick needing Toyah’s (Georgia Taylor) help to do some shopping, Simon is asked to drive Nick’s son Sam (Jude Riordan) to his chess competition. Simon is of course reluctant, knowing full well that he’s over the limit again.

“Simon is really worried about it and he tries to bat it away saying he is busy,” Alex reveals. “But Nick pressures him by saying that he should do something for his family for once and stop being selfish. Toyah also tells him that he should start showing initiative and helping out. He begrudgingly agrees.”

During the journey, Sam is chatting away when he finds a ‘Good Luck’ card in his bag, placed there by Roy (David Neilson). Sam is excited and tries to show Simon, waving it under his face as he’s trying to concentrate on the road.

Simon tries to bat it away and inadvertently knocks it into the footwell. Feeling bad that he’s been mean to Sam, Simon attempts to retrieve it, only to lose control of the car on a bend.

“Before he realises what is happening, he has crashed into a pole and over some bollards,” Alex explains. “It is the worst outcome for Simon and it jolts him back into reality.”

“Simon knows he can’t be found driving the car so having checked Sam is okay he tells him they are going to have to leave the car and walk.”

Of course it doesn’t take long for Sam to drop Simon in it when later see Leanne, and he’s forced to tell her about the accident. Leanne presumes that the brakes must have failed, and Simon is more than happy to go along with that at first.

But when Leanne later insists that they report the accident to the police, and with mechanic Kevin (Michael Le Vell) having confirmed that the brakes were fine, Simon knows he has to reveal the truth. Leanne is horrified as Simon confesses that they can’t go the police, as he was over the drink drive limit.

Of course Simon should have stated from the outset that he was unfit to drive, but Alex believes that it wasn’t simply a case of saving face.

“I think it is because he has let them down so much in the past that he doesn’t want to own up to being drunk again so he thinks he will just drive and it will all be okay,” he states. “There is also something about his relationship with Nick, he has always wanted a father-son relationship with Nick and it hasn’t really happened, and maybe now with his dad gone he is trying to get that.”

“He’s a broken person,” Alex continues. “He’s not outwardly a villain. He’s not this type of person who’s all confident, he might come across as confident but he’s not. I think he’s just a broken individual who really hasn’t got anyone properly looking out for him and who has dealt with a lot from losing his mum at such a young age to now being left behind by his dad.”

So what does Alex believe will bring Simon out of his funk?

“He is looking for someone to take care of him. Someone who’s his person that puts him first above everything else, he’s never had any. I think he just wants someone to be there just for him.“